while it seems like there would not be room for a new phone/mobile device os, there really is. a lot of people still have razrs and chocolates... but to have the kind of impact that will make it a viable and worthy alternative, palm's new os will need to offer some significant upgrade on what is available presently. specifcally it should:

- have a phone experience
- be easy to use/navigate
- be fast fast fast - no hesitations
- have the concept of "location" built into the os
- have a great internet browsing capability
- have easy to use out of the box integration with email and office software
- have build into the os the concept of orientation (sideways, upright, upside down etc.)
- have an app store (if you build it, they will come)
- offer developers incentives to port their applications to the new os, especially games
- and perhaps most important of all, a great home screen, that sets the stage for a great user interface experience.

anyway, that's what comes to mind a the moment.
location and orientation awareness in the os would help support new applications, and help differentiate it from other os's.

So far Both Google and RIM have hit home runs with their new OSs and I'm definitely hyped to see what Palm will come out with. But the fact that it has been in the works for so long makes me feel a bit worried that their new OS will not be able to match Android or the Blackberry Bold and Blackberry Storm OSs.

Palm and Microsoft will be the last of the Big mobile OS makers to show their hands and I'm hoping we'll see something awesome.

Palm has chance to stun us all and release something that can really compete. However, experience tells us that even if they come up with a GREAT OS, they are going to skimp on hardware in the early releases, and disappoint anyway. Remember the original 700w with only 32 MB RAM, or the Treo 600?

Palm's track record of trying to milk multiple incremental upgrades out of each hardware design means we're probably going to get a less than impressive set of hardware. Unfortunately, I don't think they are bright enough to realize that they need to not only meet the current offerings from Apple and Android, but exceed those offerings. They need to deliver ease of use, a high res screen, tons of memory, an awesome browser, a good camera and a fast, responsive experience. Oh and make it small enough to fit in the average person's pocket.